Remarkable
by aregano
Summary: A frightening dive head first into the Muir Woods finds colony-reared Marisol stumbling through the darkness of her own hell-wrought world and into the light of another- one filled to the brim with staggering, life-changing decisions that will leave her to choose between all she's ever known, and what she believes is right. (permanent hiatus; rewritten; see author's note)
1. Chapter 1

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_"Marisol, I told you earlier this morning that you needed to throw out the trash."_

_"Sorry, mom."_

_"I don't want you to be sorry, I want you to do it."_

_"Okay."_

_The girl made her way to the silver bin, stepping on the small black lever that lifted the lid. Once it was up, the white trash bag inside, empty, was lifting out and over her shoulder. She carried it towards the back door, unlocking it and backing off as it swung open ferociously. She held a straight face, as if this happened every time._

_The wind outside was fierce and wild, roaring in her reddening ears. Rain pelted Marisol's skin enough to be able to rip the skin clean off, yet there was no consequence of the rain's force and she felt no pain. There were dead dogs and cats spread along her back lawn. As she neared the back gate leading to the alleyway, she stumbled upon a small black trash bag. Marisol dropped the empty plastic over her shoulder, sending it spiraling into the vicious wind. Leaves and other debris from the crumbling environment around her splattered onto her face, immediately liquifying and splaying across her cheek and temple in the form of thick red blood._

_There was coughing in her ear. Like a poor old man or woman wheezing and gasping desperately for air._

_The sky thundered._

_As Marisol crouched down, her features contorted into a look of confusion when the black bag before her wriggled. The pitiful sounds of a whimpering animal could be heard from inside. Her fingers took the edges of the opening, peeling the plastic back and peering in._

_Inside of the trash bag was Marisol's dead Labrador puppy, Harley._

_Stumbling back onto her butt in surprise, Harley was picked up into the wind, along with the back fence and the ground beneath her. She was swooped up into the air, screaming for dear life._

_The girl was sent flying into the wall of a nearby house with a loud crack._

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_CRASH!_

Marisol's eyes flew open, chest heaving from the weight of her nightmare. Suddenly seeing a dark figure above her face, she opened her mouth to belt out a scream for help.

A hand flew over her mouth, effectively muffling the scream. Marisol wriggled pathetically underneath this figure, who was now settled atop her form, straddling her waist. "Shh! Shh!" It was a male voice. "It's me! Marisol, it's me, Jamie!"

Marisol stopped struggling, eyes blinking rapidly to adjust to the dark. Another boom of thunder sent the light of the lightning straight through the cracked door behind Marisol's head, illuminating half of Jamie's peachy face and brown hair. He smiled once she went lax underneath him. Jamie released her mouth. Marisol sighed, trying to regain the air she'd lost in her weak struggle. "What the hell are you doing in here?"

His smile grew in size, into a mischievous grin that forced him chuckle quietly. He held a finger to her lips, casting a quick glance to make sure Marisol's mother and younger brother were still asleep. Facing her once again, he silently slipped off of her bed. "Come on, I want to show you something."

Marisol sat up and wiped at her eyes, brows furrowed. Yawning, she stared up at Jamie, now noticing that he was cloaked in a dark poncho. He pulled out another, folded neatly in one of his cargo pant pockets.

The rain pattering harshly against the windows in the hall finally met Marisol's ears.

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.

They slipped into the hallway. Marisol looked out the tall windows lined side-by-side across the long hallway, still able to see the fogged glass and the watery raindrops splashing onto it through the dirt and dust accumulated on the inside.

She walked up to it, pressing a warm hand against the chilly glass. Jamie's voice drew her in and made her crane her neck around to see him sneaking down the hall. Not wanting to fall behind, Marisol quickly caught up and fell into step behind him. She pulled the hood of her poncho over her head like he did.

Suddenly, as they were silently passing the many different rooms on that wing of the colony's base, Marisol made a small noise of surprise when she collided with Jamie's frozen form. He whirled around and grabbed her mouth, backing up against the door behind him and opening it, pulling her inside and shutting the door carefully behind him. Marisol covered her mouth and watched Jamie stare at the light creeping underneath the door.

Sounds of footsteps brought their attentions to the shadow that blocked the light. They moved on without hesitation, and once they were out of sight and hearing range, Jamie opened the door again and peered out. He motioned for Marisol to follow, and she took his outstretched two teenagers slipped around a corner and down the spiral staircase hidden behind another hallway leading to the small clearing connected to Dreyfus' office.

Jamie was quick and his feet pattered with the rhythm of the rain, while Marisol was slower and more careful, trying not to attract attention from anyone nearby. Jamie was quickly off the staircase. Marisol made sure not to trip on the metal stair three steps down from the bottom, which was split in two from an accident a year ago and broke a man's leg.

Once she safely reached level ground, she stared up and saw Jamie at the end of the new hall, standing by a window. Marisol reached him and noticed he was wearing a stupid grin. He placed a finger over his mouth and glanced away, towards the window to his left. There were three boards blocking the latch, each stacked consecutively atop one another. Jamie reached out and gently took the top board. Marisol saw small holes in the end of each board, taking note that Jamie must have pulled the nails out before that night. One by one, Jamie laid the boards down underneath the window. He slipped around to the right, his hand going to touch the dusty silver latch near the sill. It creaked obnoxiously, and from the look of the chipped rust cracking around the mobile parts it had only been reused recently.

Once the latch was unlocked, Jamie seemed to exert a significant amount of strength trying to pry the old, settled wood up and open. With a quiet grunt and the sound of cracking, the window was sent flying, slamming loudly against the frame.

Cringing in panic, Jamie hurriedly motioned for Marisol to go through. Quickly, albeit reluctantly, Marisol blindly climbed up onto the sill and slid out, crouching against the wet asphalt below, thankful the fall wasn't too high. Jamie deftly swung out into the night, slamming the window closed behind him as another loud crack of thunder sounded.

Marisol looked back up at the window. "Do you think anyone heard that?"

"Oh yeah. Come on."

Whirling around, Marisol let out a sigh while Jamie was already jogging away.


	2. Chapter 2

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Jamie reached the door to the 7/11 first, with Marisol trailing behind. He reached out to take a hold of the door to swing it open, the tinkling of a bell signaling their presence. It was dark inside. Marisol held the door as Jamie entered, and she took a moment to feel the foreign handle and the way it slammed closed on its own and made the bell tinkle again. Marisol flashed the light at the corner of the door where the bell was strung.

She turned around, illuminating Jamie as he moved to the counter and the register. He poked at it, pressing a few of the buttons before suddenly shoving it over the edge. Marisol covered her ears at the loud crash. "Jamie! What the hell are you doing?"

He slid off the counter and grinned. "Nobody's here to check on the place. To be honest I'm never allowed to destroy things, and I don't think that's right." He chuckled, folding his arms.

Marisol rolled her eyes and focused the light on the nearby aisle ahead, advancing towards it. She scrolled along the empty rows once filled with food and candy. Turning to her right, she saw the empty freezer aisle, where there was only a single carton of milk, and it was tipped over-probably empty. Looking back at the empty rows before her, Marisol peered down and spotted a single bag of chips. 'Doritos' was the label on it. She reached out and gently took the bag, feeling how it crackled and crumpled in her grasp. She felt around the inside. There were still chips in there. Marisol searched the bag for the expiration date.

The chips had expired around six years ago.

Placing them back on the row, Marisol flashed her light to the left, noticing that Jamie was gone. "...Jamie?"

She was now very frightened. Left alone in the dark was the last thing she expected. Moving quickly around the aisle, Marisol peered down each row, hopefully to find Jamie. "Jamie?"

The next aisle was checked.

"Jamie? Jamie, where are you?"

The next aisle.

And the next.

Once Marisol reached the last aisle she was in a panic. She whirled around the corner, light poised to beam into Jamie's face when she saw it-

"Raarrgghh!"

Marisol screamed out in terror, launching herself back away from the yelling Jamie, who watched on as the fifteen year old girl slammed into a revolving rack of magazines behind her and tripped, stumbling into the pile. Marisol let out a quick sob, staring up at Jamie as he began to laugh.

"Oh my God! Your face was priceless!"

"You fucking douchebag!" Marisol cried. She furiously stood, gathering her dropped flashlight. "Fuck you! I didn't come all this way just to be made victim to your asshole-ish pranks!" Turning, Marisol was determined to make her way to the door when Jamie grabbed her wrist and made her turn around. She glared into his sparkling brown eyes.

"There's a bathroom here," he said, smiling apologetically. "If you need to go, you can. I did."

Furrowing her brows at him, Marisol cast her gaze to the ground.

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After tossing the toilet paper into the water, she stood and pulled up her pants. As if it were instinct, Marisol turned around and reached out, pressing down on the invisible handle of the toilet. She noticed the back square lens above the toilet seat. It was automatic. She didn't know how she remembered what an automatic toilet was, since the last time she saw a functioning toilet was before the outbreak of the Simian Flu, which was ten years ago.

Sadly, Marisol's eyes became downcast, and she closed them at the faint memory of coming out of a public restroom into her mom and dad's waiting arms.

Opening her eyes again, she started for the sink. Marisol experimentally pressed the button for the hand soap, watching some squirt out. There was no faucet handle, so she swiped her hand underneath the head. No water came out.

There were still paper towels. Marisol tore one from the rest and wiped her hands with it, uncomfortable with the fact she had nothing to clean her hands with.

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.

Exiting the bathroom, Marisol turned on her flashlight again. She maneuvered it to the left. "Alright, Jamie, I'm done."

He was nowhere to be found.

Aggravated now, Marisol marched out and began to search the aisles. "Jamie, damn you. Come out! Don't you dare try to scare me again or I'll beat you with this flashlight. You hear me? Jamie?"

Once she reached the middle of the store, Marisol's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Turning, she flashed her light up at the mirror in the corner of the wall by the freezer aisle. It gave her an eagle eye view of each aisle.

Empty.

Switching the light to the mirror behind the counter, she saw it was empty, too.

Now frightened, Marisol made a mad dash for the door, shoving it open.

The sound of heavy rainfall and thunder once again boomed into her ears, and she pulled up the hood of her poncho over her head. Her flashlight waved around the dark in a panic. Marisol cupped her hands over her mouth and began to call for her companion. "Jamie! Jamie, where the hell are you?"

The moon was incredibly helpful, because now she was able to see a ways past the large Redwood trees, but when she couldn't see anymore she only needed to flash her light in that direction to discover what lay ahead.

"Jamie!" Marisol called, scared and angry. "Jamie, if you don't come out right now I swear to God I'm leaving you here!" Waiting for an answer, all Marisol received was another crack of thunder and the ongoing hiss of falling rain. Large droplets splattered onto her poncho, scaring her.

Marisol's eyes moved from between the dirt road to the right-the exit-and the road leading to the left, deeper into the forest.

"Jamie! I mean it! Come out here right now!"

Conflicted as to whether she should leave her best friend stranded in Muir Woods or return to the colony, Marisol's eyes continued to dart between her two options. Her heart was pounding in her ears again, and she was breathing heavily. Small, frightened whimpers left her mouth and she felt the sting of tears burn the back of her nostrils.

"Marisol!"

She jumped, turning her flashlight in the direction of the voice.

There, in the dark, stood Jamie, waving his hands and bouncing up and down on the road leading into the forest. "Hey! Marisol! There's a road here! Wanna see where it leads?"

"Hell no! Jamie, come on, let's go back!"

"I'm not leaving yet, so if you want to go, be my guest! Go back to the colony, where you'll probably never get to go outside again! Don't you hate the curiosity that eats you up inside every time you look out the windows into these woods? I do! And goddamnit I plan to do something about it!" He dropped his hands. "Are you coming with me?"

Marisol stood there in the rain, tears streaming down her face.

No matter what choice she made, she believed she would be safer with the one who had the gun.


	3. Chapter 3

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"Jamie, you can't scare me like that," Marisol muttered harshly. Her light left a bright white spot on the back of Jamie's poncho. "..I was really going to leave you, you know."

"No you weren't," Jamie said offhandedly. "You don't have the guts to go back to the colony alone."

"Excuse me?" Marisol scoffed, stopping in her tracks. Jamie kept walking. "Hey! I'm talking to you! What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

No response.

"What the hell, Jamie?" Marisol yelled out. "I didn't follow you just so you could turn your back and disappear on me!"

"Then what did you come for?"

"I thought we were going to go on an adventure!"

"You want adventure? Come with me!" Jamie finally turned around, right before he disappeared from sight. "Come with me, and never go back to the colony! Let's die out here!" After a pause, Jamie's voice muttered, "I'm done with that place."

Marisol waited for him to jump back into sight and scare her again. "Jamie, come back. Let's go home."

Silence.

"Damnit Jamie! I swear..." Marisol didn't know what she could say. Jamie obviously didn't want to go back to the colony, and Marisol knew he was the only one out of them both that had any sort of protection. She had no idea what was in these woods. Though, out of a feeling of guilt for ever thinking of leaving the boy she grew up with stranded in the forest, she felt her feet begin to move in the direction he had left. The moon was slowing edging across the sky, and Marisol decided that she needed to hurry if she were to find Jamie and drag him back to the colony in time to wake up with everyone else.

Rain poured down from the sky even harder, it seemed, and the thunder became louder and more frequent.

Water was beginning to surge inside of deep pits around the undergrowth, and as Marisol climbed higher and higher, calling out Jamie's name in the falling fain, she noticed that she found her way onto a bridge-like slope of some sort. She stopped, the water gathering on a crease in her poncho's hood dropping down and splashing onto her face. She gasped, breathing in water, before shaking her head and wiping her stinging eyes. Peering back up, Marisol saw a strange formation overhead. The lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the formation.

It was a large nest for something, with an object hanging low beneath it and a few more smaller objects tied in places around it. As Marisol got closer, she noticed that the one lone object hanging down was the skull of a creature.

There must be people nearby.

Trying not to let her hopes up too high, Marisol clambered over the mossy slope and tripped, sliding down onto the regular incline of the forest. As she stood, she shook some water from her boots and continued on.

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.

Marisol couldn't keep track of how long she had been walking, and her voice was hoarse from calling out for Jamie. The moon was passing overhead, and the rain had blinded her. She no longer knew which way she was going. She was beginning to freeze inside of her coat and poncho. Pulling everything closer to herself to try and get warmer, Marisol forced her chattering teeth to stop. "Jamie!" she croaked out. Her voice no longer carried like it did earlier, and there was a nagging feeling that Jamie was not even in that area. Trying to call again, Marisol realized that she could no longer make noise. Only small, pitiful sounds.

Breathing in, Marisol belted out one last loud call of her friend's name, only to have it carried away by the monstrous thunder that sounded in the night.

Somewhere from deep inside the forest, Marisol heard a blood-curdling scream. It sounded male.

It must have been Jamie.

She was about to try and call again, when directly after the scream had finished its echo, the sound of a gunshot rang out.

Marisol gasped, tumbling onto her butt. Her eyes frantically searched the blank gray surroundings, unable to see a foot in front of her. She reached out her hand just to test the distance of sight she still had. "Jamie," she whispered wearily. She found renewed vigor flow inside of her, and she scrambled back onto her feet and screamed out, "Jamie! Jamie, where are you!"

Another horrible, heart-rending screech tore into the air, and two more gunshots. The sound of something else resounded afterwards, something unfamiliar to Marisol's ears. It was beast-like in nature, and it sent a terrible chill down her spine. As she stumbled blindly into the forest, there were three more gunshots-and then all was silent.

Marisol stopped again. She listened. She listened for Jamie. She listened for voices, movement, noises, any kind of sound that could indicate life.

She could no longer keep track of the time, so she had no idea how long she stood there in the blinding rain.

"No, Jamie, come on," Marisol pleaded to herself. "Make a noise. Shoot your gun. Something. You have more bullets. Shoot your gun."

Still, nothing.

And as Marisol hurriedly tried to move towards where she believed she had heard Jamie's scream, there was a boom of thunder overhead so loud it made her cringe and tumble back a few steps. She covered her head, watching the lightning illuminate the area before her. A figure in the distance, a darker gray than the mist surrounding her.

It was large. It stood on two hind legs, and its body seemed to puff up and grow greatly as it pulled its shoulders back.

At first, it seemed to have look like a man.

Now, it looked more like a monster.

Still, out of desperation, Marisol called, "Jamie?"

She stumbled back, stepping on something that crinkled and bent underneath her boots. She nearly slipped on it. She knelt down, blindly searching whatever she had stepped on. It felt like rubbery, and crumpled in her hand like a cheap plastic tablecloth.

Then it hit her.

Looking down, she could clearly see it was a poncho.

Jamie's poncho. And it was _covered in blood._

Gasping, Marisol stood and tried to run away, but her foot caught on the clothing and she twisted her leg the wrong way trying to turn around. There was a crack, and then a sickening pop that radiated pain throughout her thigh. Her leg went numb as she fell, twirling unceremoniously, arms flailing about to grasp any sort of thing to stabilize her.

There was nothing to grasp but a handful of bark from a nearby tree. Marisol's head smashed against it hard enough that her world went black before she had even reached the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

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"Jamie, you can't scare me like that," Marisol muttered harshly. Her light left a bright white spot on the back of Jamie's poncho. "..I was really going to leave you, you know."

"No you weren't," Jamie said offhandedly. "You don't have the guts to go back to the colony alone."

"Excuse me?" Marisol scoffed, stopping in her tracks. Jamie kept walking. "Hey! I'm talking to you! What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

No response.

"What the hell, Jamie?" Marisol yelled out. "I didn't follow you just so you could turn your back and disappear on me!"

"Then what did you come for?"

"I thought we were going to go on an adventure!"

"You want adventure? Come with me!" Jamie finally turned around, right before he disappeared from sight. "Come with me, and never go back to the colony! Let's die out here!" After a pause, Jamie's voice muttered, "I'm done with that place."

Marisol waited for him to jump back into sight and scare her again. "Jamie, come back. Let's go home."

Silence.

"Damnit Jamie! I swear..." Marisol didn't know what she could say. Jamie obviously didn't want to go back to the colony, and Marisol knew he was the only one out of them both that had any sort of protection. She had no idea what was in these woods. Though, out of a feeling of guilt for ever thinking of leaving the boy she grew up with stranded in the forest, she felt her feet begin to move in the direction he had left. The moon was slowing edging across the sky, and Marisol decided that she needed to hurry if she were to find Jamie and drag him back to the colony in time to wake up with everyone else.

Rain poured down from the sky even harder, it seemed, and the thunder became louder and more frequent.

Water was beginning to surge inside of deep pits around the undergrowth, and as Marisol climbed higher and higher, calling out Jamie's name in the falling fain, she noticed that she found her way onto a bridge-like slope of some sort. She stopped, the water gathering on a crease in her poncho's hood dropping down and splashing onto her face. She gasped, breathing in water, before shaking her head and wiping her stinging eyes. Peering back up, Marisol saw a strange formation overhead. The lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the formation.

It was a large nest for something, with an object hanging low beneath it and a few more smaller objects tied in places around it. As Marisol got closer, she noticed that the one lone object hanging down was the skull of a creature.

There must be people nearby.

Trying not to let her hopes up too high, Marisol clambered over the mossy slope and tripped, sliding down onto the regular incline of the forest. As she stood, she shook some water from her boots and continued on.

.

.

Marisol couldn't keep track of how long she had been walking, and her voice was hoarse from calling out for Jamie. The moon was passing overhead, and the rain had blinded her. She no longer knew which way she was going. She was beginning to freeze inside of her coat and poncho. Pulling everything closer to herself to try and get warmer, Marisol forced her chattering teeth to stop. "Jamie!" she croaked out. Her voice no longer carried like it did earlier, and there was a nagging feeling that Jamie was not even in that area. Trying to call again, Marisol realized that she could no longer make noise. Only small, pitiful sounds.

Breathing in, Marisol belted out one last loud call of her friend's name, only to have it carried away by the monstrous thunder that sounded in the night.

Somewhere from deep inside the forest, Marisol heard a blood-curdling scream. It sounded male.

It must have been Jamie.

She was about to try and call again, when directly after the scream had finished its echo, the sound of a gunshot rang out.

Marisol gasped, tumbling onto her butt. Her eyes frantically searched the blank gray surroundings, unable to see a foot in front of her. She reached out her hand just to test the distance of sight she still had. "Jamie," she whispered wearily. She found renewed vigor flow inside of her, and she scrambled back onto her feet and screamed out, "Jamie! Jamie, where are you!"

Another horrible, heart-rending screech tore into the air, and two more gunshots. The sound of something else resounded afterwards, something unfamiliar to Marisol's ears. It was beast-like in nature, and it sent a terrible chill down her spine. As she stumbled blindly into the forest, there were three more gunshots-and then all was silent.

Marisol stopped again. She listened. She listened for Jamie. She listened for voices, movement, noises, any kind of sound that could indicate life.

She could no longer keep track of the time, so she had no idea how long she stood there in the blinding rain.

"No, Jamie, come on," Marisol pleaded to herself. "Make a noise. Shoot your gun. Something. You have more bullets. Shoot your gun."

Still, nothing.

And as Marisol hurriedly tried to move towards where she believed she had heard Jamie's scream, there was a boom of thunder overhead so loud it made her cringe and tumble back a few steps. She covered her head, watching the lightning illuminate the area before her. A figure in the distance, a darker gray than the mist surrounding her.

It was large. It stood on two hind legs, and its body seemed to puff up and grow greatly as it pulled its shoulders back.

At first, it seemed to have look like a man.

Now, it looked more like a monster.

Still, out of desperation, Marisol called, "Jamie?"

She stumbled back, stepping on something that crinkled and bent underneath her boots. She nearly slipped on it. She knelt down, blindly searching whatever she had stepped on. It felt like rubbery, and crumpled in her hand like a cheap plastic tablecloth.

Then it hit her.

Looking down, she could clearly see it was a poncho.

Jamie's poncho. And it was _covered in blood._

Gasping, Marisol stood and tried to run away, but her foot caught on the clothing and she twisted her leg the wrong way trying to turn around. There was a crack, and then a sickening pop that radiated pain throughout her thigh. Her leg went numb as she fell, twirling unceremoniously, arms flailing about to grasp any sort of thing to stabilize her.

There was nothing to grasp but a handful of bark from a nearby tree. Marisol's head smashed against it hard enough that her world went black before she had even reached the ground.


	5. Chapter 5

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_'Now, father?'_

Caesar's hand came up to close around Blue-Eyes' fist. The father turned to his young, pushing his own hand into his chest. He turned away, then back to Blue-Eyes, who was eagerly awaiting a command. For a moment they waited, until Caesar shoved his fist into the air, letting out a screech.

The elk below were taken by surprise and scattered almost immediately.

Caesar and his apes swung through the trees fast enough to catch up and to keep the prey running. As they edged closer and closer to a steep slope in the ground, Koba and his party appeared from nowhere, with Koba yelling out to intimidate the elk that veered out of his way. His sharp teeth bared into a devious smile, his sharp spear poised to strike.

The apes on the ground were knocked around like ragdolls while under the elks' hooves, some even kicked unconscious. The rest of the party continued in hot pursuit, unwilling to let their prey slip through their hands.

The apes clinging to the trees now joined their brethren in the chorus of screeches and hoots, leaping from their points on the trunks of the Redwoods and onto the backs of the creatures galloping for dear life below. The forest was filled with sounds of the hunt now, stirring the birds from their nests and into the early morning sky. A few elk here and there fell and tripped, but were back on their hooves faster than the apes could grasp a hold of them or impale them with the spears and weapons they carried. The elk slid down another decline in the forest floor, where Caesar and Buck were waiting. Caesar quickly dug his rope and boulders from off Buck's back, hurrying forward to prepare his strike.

His strong arms circled the net overhead before letting it fly towards his target: a male elk that, once his legs had been captured, had them torn from under him, sending him screeching over a small cliff and out of sight below.

Blue-Eyes joined his father as Caesar led the way down the small ravine, warily edging his way down to the crippled elk. His own spear was gripping securely in his large paw, and he surveyed his surrounds with great caution, catching sight of a nearby tree. It looked damaged, and as he came closer, Caesar signed for his son to wait behind him. The large ape quickly moved to approach the tree, where a gentle hand reached out and slid across the ripped bark. These was no ordinary marks.

Blue-Eyes waited until his father's back was turned before he slid down the decline in the ravine, towards the bellowing elk as it writhed helplessly on the ground, soon becoming able to free itself of the trap around its legs. Blue-Eyes made sure to stay quiet as he closed in, raising his spear and pointing it towards a vital area.

From out of the bushes to his right, a grizzly bear, larger than anything he had ever seen, roared into the open, blowing spit and warm air onto the young ape's fur. Blue-Eyes screeched at the monster, jumping back away from its huge paws. They were bigger than his head, and he knew that one strike would be the end of him. His spear was out in front of him, the only thing keeping the bear from shredding him to pieces. Once Blue-Eyes let his spear down to try and call for help, the bear lashed out his paw and sliced it across Blue-Eyes' chest, sending him flying onto the ground.

From behind Caesar came roaring. He leaped onto the back of the bear, momentarily distracting it from Blue-Eyes, helpless on the forest floor. Caesar slipped back onto the ground, standing tall in front of his son, now bleeding from the several wounds across his shoulder. Caesar yelled at his son to stay back, and the minute he had a chance to breathe, he called out to Koba.

.

.

Koba's name resounded through the trees. The scarred ape, realizing that whoever was calling him was in danger, made a mad dash for the source of the voice. As he came closer and closer, Koba realized it was Caesar who was in need of help. Catapulting himself off the cliff where the elk had fallen, Koba raised his spear and lodged it deep into the back of the bear's throat, sending him crashing down alongside a fleeing Blue-Eyes. Caesar disappeared from sight.

Koba and Blue-Eyes gathered their bearings and cautiously approached the bear, who had gone limp mere seconds after the spear had been impaled in it's tough flesh.

For a moment, all was still.

Suddenly, the bear began to shift. From out between its legs appeared Caesar, who threw a glance towards Koba. Said ape sighed with relief, and chuckled with his comrade, who signed to him, _'Thank you.' _Blue-Eyes' milky orbs were downcast as Koba tossed his leader the young ape's wooden spear.

Caesar got Blue-Eyes' attention by grunting at him. Not angry in the slightest, Caesar signed, _'Think before you act, son.' _He reached out to examine his young's wounds, but was only met with a humiliated hiss as Blue-Eyes tore his spear away from his father, moving to stand a few feet away and turn from the group.

Blue-Eyes' furrowed brows knitted together as he scanned the environment, still fuming from the fight he failed to handle on his own.

As his eyes scoured the grasses, he saw something strange poking up from the ground. It was long and irregularly-shaped, and shiny. His head tilted to the side. With his curiosity getting the better of him, Blue-Eyes made sure he was unseen by the group as he slunk away towards this strange thing.

The closer he got, the more puzzled he was. The thing was split in two, and the two long shapes branching off from the shiny body looked strangely like legs. One of them was twisted some, and Blue-Eyes reached out with one large hand to touch the wet, shiny body of this strange thing. The fabric rumpled and crackled under his touch, and he smoothed his hand along the wet cloth, feeling a soft, moving body underneath it. His hand recoiled quickly, and his eyes darted from the legs to the other end of this living creature. Blue-Eyes crawled over to where the shiny fabric inverted, and jumped back immediately at what he saw.

Staring into the pale face of the creature he had only heard in stories, Blue-Eyes hooted and screeched for the group to join him in examining his find.

Koba arrived first, followed by Caesar. Once they had an eye-full of the unconscious human, Koba was quick to sign furiously, _'Human! Still alive?'_

Blue-Eyes nodded, patting his chest twice. _'Breathing.'_

Caesar was quiet as he moved around the body. Koba and Blue-Eyes saw his expression turn from surprised to extremely curious. His hands gently brushed along the fabric covering the human. He had seen things like this before. It was something called a poncho, and it kept the humans dry in the rain. As he neared the human's mouth, his large hand slipped up above her breast, towards the neck. Underneath his finger was a slow pulse. Caesar gently dragged his middle finger across a gash stretched out across the human's forehead, the area covered in crusted blood. As he swiped, he had broken the developing scab, fresh blood began to ooze forth, causing it to swell and drip down the temple.

Without any other observation, he backed away and did not meet his companions' eyes as he made a few subtle hand motions. _'Son, stay. Koba, come.'_

Blue-Eyes furrowed his brows, reaching out to his father in confusion. Caesar placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder. Once Blue-Eyes was seated again beside the human, Caesar motioned to Koba.

The scarred ape's mouth was ajar and huffing as he signed: _'Leaving it here? What if it wakes up?'_

_'Not waking up any time soon,' _Caesar assured.

.

.

Using Stone as a vessel to transport the unconscious being through the forest while another gorilla and several large bonobos dragged the grizzly bear, Caesar was frequently approached by various followers who runted and hooted and signed frantically to him as they bounced around:

_'Who is this human?'_

_'Why bring it along?'_

_'Are we going to eat it?'_

The attention he received from Koba and Blue-Eyes unnerved him the most.

_'Why not listen to Koba, father? Leave it! Dead weight, useless!'_

_'It is unneeded. Worthless. Half-dead. Kill it while it is still weak!'_

The screeching of his apes increased the force of the air that whistled through Caesar's nostrils. Becoming bothered by heir uneasiness, the large ape suddenly felt a surging in his chest that usually made itself known when his authority was challenged. Only, this time, the surging was felt for a completely different reason that Caesar did not quite know yet, but the feeling was uncomfortable and tight and constricted his heart.

He said nothing on the way, just forced himself to stare ahead in silence.


	6. Chapter 6

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Marisol woke up in an instant, immediately gasping for air. Her sight was fuzzy, and she was seeing double vision, though she could slightly decipher the content of her surroundings: an average, amateurly-built den with stone flooring. Her head throbbed with a pain that intensified the more conscious she became. There was a suspicious ringing in her ears: a soft, murmuring sound at first- but as the vignette film covering the environment around her cleared to let in dazzling streams of vibrant white light, so did her hearing; and the soft murmuring transformed into a loud cacophony of growls and grunts that seemed to bounce around her head.

The sight before her was nothing short of breathtaking; and a small, weak yelp squeaked forth from her raw throat. She desperately scrabbled back against the bark wall behind her in a frail attempt to put some distance between her and the apes that stood inquisitively at the mouth of the den. Her arms were trembling with fright and her legs, sore for reasons she could not remember at such a time, were buzzing, nerve-endings alive and racing and ready to comply with her brain's flaring instinct to run.

A few apes could no doubt see the growing fright in her earthy orbs and decided to spur on their quieting friends by swelling up their chests and letting forth even louder and more menacing hoots. Their efforts were fruitless, for soon the entire group of companions had fallen hush to an eerily silence. Saving themselves from embarrassment, the apes still hissing and grumbling at the human settled as well.

Now the only sound to be heard was the frantic, labored breathing escaping from the human's dry, flesh-colored lips. Her chest rose and fell in an erratic rhythm, keeping the adrenaline flowing fresh through her veins.

Marisol was still petrified with fear and awe as she stared out into the crowd of apes, tall and muscular and covered in thick black hair. Some, although, had a more naked appearance with so little covering you could see the silverish skin beneath.

Once the initial shock of this sudden bedlam had settled, it was then Marisol began to feel a heavy weight on certain parts of her body- more specifically, her right thigh and forehead, along with a dull stinging that prickled at her palm. She ignored the rising pains to stare wide-eyed at the gaping tears in her right pant leg. A gasp would have torn forth had her screams from the night prior not left her throat raw and dry.

The quiet hooting that rose from the large group of apes brought Marisol's attention back up over their shoulders where they happened to be peering. Through the bright light shining through them, filtering onto the stone sitting cold and harsh underneath the human girl's skin, there was a figure appearing- a light grayish blob at first, but soon filling out with a darker color. The outline of the figure was now definitive, and as it approached the shapes and contours of what looked like a man became apparent.

Marisol felt hope swell in her breast, and her breath snagged and unraveled in preparation to be met with the warm face of someone familiar, like her father, or another relative. The thought brought a sharp sting to the back of her nostrils.

But as the figure maneuvered effortlessly past the apes, Marisol took into mind the way they turned down to it and bowed their heads for a quick moment, before regarding it warily, protectively. Marisol noticed the change in the air- the sudden shift of power that seemed to waft behind this advancing figure as it carefully waded through the sea of overgrown primates like an easy breeze.

As the figure finally held the sun to its back, now fully enveloped of the guarded gazes of the apes, Marisol realized that this was not her father, or a grandfather or uncle; nor was it even a man.

It was an ape.

Unable to accurately determine the creature's height from the floor, he was no doubt nearing the six foot mark. A rather staggering height for an ape- and judging from the facial structure Marisol new he slightly resembled a the cutesy chimpanzees from the children's books in the colony's medical room. His features were incredibly humanoid, with a prominent jaw line surrounded by the same black hair that covered the rest of his raw, muscular body. Faint, graying strands peeked out from the strip of hair reaching under his chin and across, giving the appearance of a fatherly beard. Though the most striking parts of this chimp were his eyes: they were white around the iris, when most of the primates Marisol had seen pictures of had brown or blackish scleras. In fact, there was no sight of the earthy colors in his sharp eyes.

Though it felt like ages since the figure had touched the floor of the den, it had been a matter of mere seconds. Dragging her eyes from his hand-like feet to his triangularish torso, tapering outwards to hold broad, straightened shoulders, Marisol returned to the chimp's leafy green orbs, glassy and slick and full of power. It seemed all the strength in his body, all the emotions he carried were filtered through to his eyes. A single ape shifted from behind him and the softly wavering light of day that pierced the air caused his iris' to flicker and glow a bright emerald, like the quick flash of sheet lightning in a rainstorm.

Marisol tried to swallow the dry, uncomfortable lump in her throat but was impeded by the sandy feel of her nearly unwet tongue and the rawness at the back of her mouth. She instead settled for licking her chapped lips, regretting the decision when the saliva dried almost instantly, leaving behind a sharp sting. She must have a cut somewhere.

The large chimp standing ominously at the mouth of the den seemed to purse his lips ever so slightly, eyes darting around Marisol's face as though searching for words. A single hand twitched, nearly raising past his hip, before it fell. Finally, he spoke: "Have... a good sleep?"

Marisol nearly fainted, using her uninjured palm to steady herselfagainst the cold stone floor. The atmosphere of this confrontation was much to baffling for Marisol to comprehend the almost comical question- although she was quite dumbfounded that this creature had just opened his mouth and spoke. Her eyes were wide and doe-like, brows knitted together in painful confusion. Marisol held a hand to her forehead, wincing and closing her eyes to feel the sharp stab of pain shoot from her hairline to the brow. "I'm hallucinating," she mumbled to herself, the declaration only audible to her own ears.

The ape standing at the bright opening tilted his head, almost curious as to why the human was talking to itself and not to him. Staring at the ground off in a direction, he pursed his lips again and held his head up again, this time choosing instead to ask a better question: "Humans search for you?"

Marisol's head shot up, hand falling back onto the ground to stabilize her as she was hit with sudden vertigo. Squeezing her eyes shut, she said through clenched teeth- deciding to humor her hallucination-,"I... I don't know."

The ape gave a tin nod of acknowledgement. Looking back towards the human he said, "Others... with you?"

Marisol brought a hand up to rub her aching nape, massaging gently. As soon as the vertigo had come it had departed, leaving behind a sickly feeling in her throat. Her eyes slid across each gaping tear in her cargo pants and the cottony red pajama bottoms underneath. "I-I..."

Suddenly, her mind flashed with an image of a young boy with brown hair and pretty eyes settled atop a porcelain face. Before the brain could register the image, though, it was wiped clean, leaving nothing but a blank white slate.

Staring back up into the ape's eyes Marisol said, "...I don't remember. I don't think so." She curled her uninjured leg up to her breast. "...Where am I? What happened?"

"Injured," the ape replied. He took two long, thick fingers and dragged them in three diagonal lines across his thigh, along the lines of his forehead, and once over his outstretched palm. "Brought here."

"How did I get injured?" Marisol asked. No longer was she hung up on the matter of talking chimps. The only confusion left was her the blank slates that appeared when she attempted to remember recent events. She definitely could not recall the cause of injuries spread across her body.

"Bear," the ape said gruffly, nodding ever so slightly as if to affirm his own claim. "Brought you here."

"I was attacked by a bear...?" Marisol asked breathlessly. She searched the floor with a sudden fervor to discover her lost memory as though she would find it among the many grooves and crevices that decorated the cinereal stone. Her hallucination was frighteningly honest and realistic.

"Injured," the chimp repeated again, tearing the teenage girl from her thoughts. "Need rest. Bed there." He motioned with a tilt of his large head to Marisol's left, whereupon the cold ground lay a generous pile of grasses.

Mildly preoccupied with reaching out to feel the cool rock underneath her, Marisol pulled her eyebrows together and frowned, feeling a lingering mist of fatigue seep into the space at the back of her head. She hung her head, wrapping her arms around her good leg. "...Okay."

She did not witness the pitiful regard of the chimp before he turned and called for his tribe to disperse.

* * *

**A/n : **apologies for any spelling mistakes, as a majority of this chapter was written on my phone. thank you for your kind reviews and i hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

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As Caesar crossed the distance between the human's den and the winding wooden staircase spiraling fantastically up into the largest tree in the camp, several young medicine apes brushed past him to go and examine the exciting new vessel. Caesar paid them little mind, as the apes' older mentors were still busy with Cornelia.

Just a ways away from the first step, Caesar was suddenly approached by Maurice. The orangutan walked alongside his smaller companion, stopping only to sign the question, _'Why bring the human here?'__  
_

_'...Young. Alone,' _Caesar replied hesitantly, and the quick motion of his fingers made Maurice hum deep in his throat.

_'Human,'_ he countered. _'Might not be safe.'_

_'Have no fear, Maurice. It is injured. Wounds on face and leg. Will die if not treated by apes,'_ Caesar signed almost pleadingly. Seeing Maurice's curious eyes, the ape sighed in defeat, akin to that of the human he had left only moments ago. Caesar's face became gentle, and he pursed his lips to the side as he signed, _'I made my decision, Maurice. I will keep an eye on her.'_

Maurice inclined his large head as Caesar was taking his leave. Hurriedly the orangutan signed, _'Female?'_

_'Child,'_ Caesar replied, swinging an arm dismissively at him.

At that moment, one of the medicine apes from the home in the tree began to holler.

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Marisol pushed off the wall and stumbled, limping a few steps towards the mouth of the den before stopping. Outside she could see apes moving along in pairs or groups, normally going about their day with spare glances in her direction. The longer she stared out into the distance the more convince she was becoming that this was not a dream, or a hallucination. The chirping of the birds hidden overhead and the gentle mumble of apes as they gathered at random spots in the clearing was almost pleasant, calming. The sun was filtering in on just the right places, touching only the most wonderful of places on Marisol's cold, damp body.

Taking a moment to close her eyes and suck in a deep, tranquil breath, feeling the dull aches in her injured parts finally begin to reduce to a slight throbbing. The only wounds that still pained her were the ugly gashes spread along the clothing on her leg. Reaching down, she gently brushed her fingers along the roughly torn fabric, sucking in a breath through clenched teeth as the undersides of her dry, muddy fingers snagged a loose thread of her pajama pants, dragging it across her still-open wound. She sighed, looking back up into the clearing. A few gorillas stared with an intense distaste directly at her, even going so far as to tilt their heads back and sneer.

The sight of their large, thick ivory fangs was enough to send Marisol's gaze to the ground.

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted her and brought her eyes back up to catch sight of four elaborately decorated bonobos bouncing in her direction. They were fashioned in a matter akin to that of African witch doctors, with shaved bones tied along thin, colorful strings that wrapped round the bonobos' faces and ears, clacking together playfully while they ambled around.

The apes locked eyes with Marisol, and seeing how her weight was shifted onto her other foot and how grimy she looked, they grunted at one another before speeding up their pace. She quickly retreated back into the den.

Squeaking in a fit of pain that radiated from her thigh wounds to her knee and then down through her toes, Marisol quickly lifted the leg back up, hopping hysterically back always to keep herself steady- but she fell regardless, landing on her butt. Her legs slammed against the dusty stone, increasing the already heavy feeling that weighed crushingly down on each individual slash stretching around her thigh, and her elbows exploded with a sudden uncomfortable tingling, like the entire expanse of each arm had fallen asleep; but as quick as the feeling came if had gone, leaving behind an ugly ache.

Marisol turned her attention to the mouth of the den, watching the two bone-clad bonobos tilt their heads and stare with wide, wet and curious brown eyes. Their bodies were lithe and sinewy with the beginnings of thick muscle that slightly broadened their thighs and shoulders. They were young. Feeling mildly irritated at her own clumsiness, Marisol averted her eyes, blowing the short, tousled dark sorrel strands from her face.

The apes approached with no hesitation once Marisol had repositioned herself to sit upright. They gathered around like a group of excited children, each taking a separate body part into their large hands to examine. Despite their gruff appearance and intimidating stature, they had the gentle hands of a real human doctor. While their bodies and heads shook and nodded to one another as they exchanged glances and sounds(no doubt sharing medical observations, since they each pointed to some unspecific area as they chirped), their fingers moved with grace that had much to be perfected, yet was experienced enough to gather the information they needed.

They were finished checking Marisol's arms and forehead, and moved to reach for her long sleeved thermal shirt, the once-white fabric now stained with the colors of the earth and some blood. She couldn't tell whose it was.

One bonobo's wrinkled gray hand landed on the top of her left breast, and Marisol lurched out of his grasp, struggling to escape. Her shoulders and leg were held steady, effectively ceasing her surprised writhing. Breathing heavily from her actions, she stared right back into the eyes of the bonobo who had touched her. He inclined his head pleadingly, the bones around his face tinkling musically. He made a noise with his throat like the soft thumping of a drum.

As the beat continued, Marisol recognized the rhythm and calmed down. He only wanted to check her heart.

Relaxing into the grip of her doctors, she sat up as straight as she could, taking in a deep breath.

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Caesar followed the medicine ape up the spiraling wooden path and onto the stable flooring settled under the green canopy. Several other apes decorated in their simple symbolic fashion hid the object of Caesar's worries from view. Small, weak and pained noises rose from the middle of the circle, and upon hearing his approach, the medicine ape standing between Caesar and his mate ducked his head and moved off to the side.

Cornelia lay there on the soft bedding of mossy fibers and cool grass, curled in on herself and staring out towards her mate. Caesar came closer, reaching for the weakly outstretched hand that beckoned him to her. Upon taking it, Cornelia gasped and further tucked her head into her chest. Caesar placed a gentle hand on her head in reassurance and felt her terrible grip as she grunted and heaved. The medicine apes hooted quietly to one another as the tended to the lower area of Cornelia's body. With a small hiss, Cornelia unwound and panted on her back.

A tiny, wet little chimp was held out to Cornelia and Caesar to see. The small, wriggling form opened its toothless mouth to gasp and hiccup before letting out a long, high-pitched sound that came from the back of its throat as though it had lost its voice and was trying to cry. Its eyes were closed and its skin was slick and soft to the touch. Caesar's lips curled upwards into a smile, matching Cornelia's own elated expression. They met foreheads, the baby between them.

The medicine apes hooted to alert Caesar of a visitor. Turning, he smiled again, wider this time.

Blue-Eyes stood in the entrance of the canopy den, the sun splashing against his dark hair and filtering over his shoulders. The healing wounds over his right shoulder lit up a light carnation.

Caesar nodded and motioned for him to approach. As Blue-Eyes made his say over, his father signed, _'Come, meet your new brother.'_

The sky-eyed chimp took a place next to Caesar, who steadied him with a hand. Blue-Eyes glanced from the tiny newborn back to his pale mother, who smiled back with weary eyes clouded with exhaustion. Caesar's sparkling green orbs left Cornelia to stare adoringly at his eldest son. There was a foreign twinkle in them.

For that moment, all was perfect and right.

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The baby was retrieved from Cornelia so she could rest, and was settled somewhere across the den in his own secure bed of fluffy down collected from bluejays Caesar had hunted himself just for the occasion.

He brushed some fur back against his mate's cheek as she slept, hand still intertwined with hers, although it was limp inside of his grasp. Caesar stole a glance at Blue-Eyes, who sat directly across from his mother on the other side of the den. He was eyeing his father intently. Caesar returned his gaze to Cornelia one last time while he signed, _'It is not as dangerous as y__ou think it to be..'_

_'Is human!' _Blue-Eyes signed furiously, keeping his harsh breathing in check so as to not wake his mother or brother. _'Would not find a more dangerous thing! Why you not listen to Koba, father? He says-'_

_'Koba knows nothing about the humans!'_ Caesar signed back, surprising himself and his son with his own sudden brashness. He and Blue-Eyes locked gazes before Caesar's puffed chest relaxed. He looked away to sign, _'Humans are not monsters. They make mistakes too.'_

_'Why not let human be punished for mistake? Why bring human here to put apes in danger?'_

_'It is young, like you. I would not punish you for your mistakes. It was injured, like you. I would not leave you to die in the forest.'_

Blue-Eyes dropped his gaze for a moment, feeling his anger dissipate. Even though he could not understand why his father was defending the human, Caesar was nonetheless his father, and he had to respect his decisions. At least for now.

_'...Do not compare me to human,' _Blue-Eyes signed defeatedly.

_'Just come. See the human. Need you to help water and feed it.'_

Giving his father one last, disconsolate look, he turned his head away and signed, _'Yes, father.'_

_._

_._

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**A/n :** another chapter written on my phone. again, apologies for any spelling or grammar errors!


	8. Chapter 8

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The apes hooted to one another, signaling that their work was finally finished. The human between them hissed weakly, a single hand grasped tightly at the bonobo nearest to her head, fingers latched around the thick, silver wrist. Wiry hairs poke at the skin of her palm, and when she felt the sudden rough scratch that detached her from her outlet of comfort, she reached out with a heavy arm. Her hand touched nothing but air before it slapped back against the chilly stone underneath her. The sound of footsteps faded into the distance and once more, Marisol was left alone in her own company.

Her right thigh throbbed with a vengeance, the green herbs that had been chewed to pulp and pressed deep into her wounds sending shocks of pain reverberating throughout each tendon and ligament. Every involuntary twitch of her leg was vicious. Both lower limbs were naked, stripped of each layer of grubby clothing she had arrived in. The tan skin over them were frigid, chilled to the bone from being washed with icy water the apes much have fetched from a nearby creek. Her pants had been taken away in a wood-woven basket nearing the start of her treatment.

Just the though of a fresh, gelid stream had the human girl's stomach tied up in knots. Only then did she remember the dryness of her flesh-colored lips and the parched tongue hidden within.

Marisol finally peeled open the eyes she had squeezed shut with torment from the treatment of her afflictions to blink out the brightness of the sunlight, feeling as though she had been blinded one too many times that day. She had not kept track of how long she had been under examination and her disoriented perception of time brought a nagging sensation to her neck, which itched with the need to arc and check the position of the sun for reassurance. Unfortunately, the pain of having the pulped herbs pressed generously into the several large lacerations spread across the flesh on her right femur had stolen the strength from her body, leaving her only the power to drag her arms uselessly along the ash-colored terrain shadowed under the roof of the tiny sanctuary.

The crude treatment left a hollow feeling in her chest. Marisol ached to be back inside the towering steel walls of the colony, settled snugly under thin white blankets of a dingy medical room, the fabric pilled with years of reuse.

She smiled to herself, feeling a breathy chuckle escape her chapped lips at the rush of joy that stung the back of her nose from reclaiming a lost memory of home.

Now she only needed to try and discover the rest.

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The soft, liquid song of a Wood Thrush filled the tiny den. Opening her tired eyes, Marisol blinked the sleep away, the glassy fog over her dark orbs fading away to reveal her surroundings, clear and sharp this time in oppose to the first waking. The Wood Thrush, upon seeing the odd creature who inhabited the shelter stir, spread its wings and lifted from its twig perch, fluttering out the entryway.

Marisol lay quietly on the soft bedding of grass, staring wistfully into the distance after it. The absence of a sun leaked darkness through the trunks of the trees past tall wooden structures housing the community of apes. The world was dark and wet with rain that was pitter-pattering loudly against the rocky ground. It was a gloomy but lovely sight. Only a sparse amount of apes were out and about. The rest must have been lost to view in their huts round the corner.

The girl reached out and stretched her arms, realizing that she had most likely been curled into the fetal position from afternoon into the night. Then, sitting up on her elbows, she shivered as a slight breeze whispered into the den. Her left leg was still bare of decent clothing, with small, flesh-colored goosebumps prickling the naked skin. Her right thigh caught her attention: it was blanketed with half of her pajama bottoms, torn at the edges and much cleaner than they were the day before. Marisol reached out and touched the soft fabric. It smelled like rainwater and soggy lichen, a crisp and fresh scent that explained the mystery behind why the patch of clothing was soaked through.

Flooding the wood-woven basket in the corner were the rest of her clothes: the other half of her bottoms, washed cargo pants and a sleek, slipper-looking beige poncho. Marisol sat fully erect now. A dull ache filled her right thigh as she leaned over, fingertips splaying to grasp idly at the edge of the basket. Dragging it back towards her hip, the poncho slipped out and onto the stone. Marisol outstretched her right arm to take it.

Getting an eyeful of her grimy thermal, her hand recoiled slowly in disgust. She raised both upper limbs like a bird spreading its wings, scouring each soiled miniscule knit stitch. Clumps of dirt had smeared and soaked into the fabric of the thermal. Taking notice of the nasty state of her clothing caused each deep-set stain to itch the skin beneath.

There was nothing to be done about it now. Marisol turned her attention back to the poncho. Once again reaching out, she claimed the watertight material and rubbed it against her fingers. Canvas material on the bottom scraped against her dry pointer while a clear coated plastic slipped easily back and forth against the underside of her thumb. The chilly air of the early morning brushed once more against Marisol's skin, but she refused to wear the poncho, instead folding it and settling it back inside of the woven basket, pushing it away back into the corner.

Her dark eyes lingered on her right thigh, covered in the cutesy monkey pattern that nearly bore a cheeky grin on her face. Tapering tan fingers pinched at the roughly torn edges. Marisol held her breath, prepared for any pain that may come with the removing of her makeshift bandage.

As she tore away the waterlogged textile, the rush of wind that accompanied it brought fresh goosebumps back into view. The pulpous green herbs placed in rows against the scabbing wounds were browning ever-so-slightly round their edges. Each laceration was surrounded by pinkened flesh that contrasted with the tan of Marisol's natural color. Reaching down to press two fingers experimentally on the wounds, she was relieved to feel no serious inflammation. Instead, it ached deep down in her bones and through her muscle.

Once finished with inspecting her more serious injury, she sent up one single finger to brush gently across the space above her brow line. There were herbs pressed into the cut there as well. Softly tapping the pads of all five fingers around the expanse of it, Marisol could feel the mild sting of a blooming bruise. She grimaced uncomfortably-unsure as to if she could ever remember hitting her head.

Eyes focused down on her muddy toes, she found them bare of any covering, save for one sock drooping sadly on her left foot. Her rubbery rain boots were tossed into the corner opposite of the woven basket, deposited there before the apes removed her pants. She leaned forward, the ache in her thigh once again making itself known, and took the cold sock into her fingers so she could slip it off and discard it alongside the boots.

Subconsciously, Marisol's eyes wandered to the mouth of the den, now suddenly staring deep into cold blue eyes belonging to an ape she hadn't seen in the crowd that gathered around the day prior. They were nearly white, like ice, and made her freeze. Though, his eyes weren't the only striking features about him.

What stood out the most were the wounds on his right shoulder, bare of any medicinal herbs-save for one, sitting alone in the uppermost cut. These injuries looked strangely similar to the ones on Marisol's leg...

The harsh sigh that was pushed through his nose made the poised human start in surprise. Her head turned to the side and she furrowed her brows as he began to advance, eyes darting from his youthful face to the flat wooden dish filled with berries and a sliver of cooked meat he held in his right hand and the tiny, ivory-colored cup grasped around the edges in his left. Marisol frantically wondered what this chimp's purpose was as he approached, but before he could get within arm's length, he stopped.

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The crease between Blue-Eyes' brow line deepened when he halted, watching the human cringe and turn her head away in submission, her short curtain of smooth chestnut hair pouring like water over strong, cloth-clad shoulders. Through the veil of brown he could make out her two large, inquisitive eyes-dark and earthy in color, peering out under thin black brows.

He sighed again, running his eyes distastefully along the two dirty lumps under her shirt and over the thick curve of her naked legs, dry mud caked here and there. His cool eyes flickered back up to her face, still staring directly at him; nervous, sharp, and cautious.

With a cock of his head he nudged his shoulder forward and dropped the flat wooden dish onto the rocky ground with a loud thump, shattering the intense silence.

He watched the human with a nearly amused expression that could not be detected if one was not looking deep enough. His hard, unreadable expression belied an experimental curiosity to explore this strange creature. He cast a lazy glance over his wounded shoulder offhandedly, secretly a bit concerned if any ape were watching.

Returning his gaze back to the human, his sky-blue eyes observed as she had leaned forward quite a bit before stopping once she realized he was watching her. A tiny hand was moving ever so slightly against the pebbly ground, obviously inching towards the plate of food he had unceremoniously plopped down before her. Curling his lip some, he roughly bent down and shoved the food closer to her feet where she would actually be able to reach it. Some berries tumbled out from atop the plate. She moved her head to stare down at them, then to the dish, then back up into his cold eyes. He could see the questions swirling in her bright orbs like moonlight on a still pond.

But still she did not take what he offered.

Growing a bit frustrated at her lack of cooperation, he pursed his lips in a manner like his father's and crouched, nodding his head toward the plate. His father had told him that the human would not understand their sign language-and so he would have to explain his demands in another way. He felt a bit silly playing this game of movement with this obviously stupid creature, but there was a slight stir in his consciousness that was almost a bit excited to be interacting with a human, albeit a useless and weak one. He had heard stories from his uncle about the terror of humans and their reign of evil over things like apes and even others of their kind.

He was removed from his thoughts as the female finally adjusted her position to sit with her legs crossed. She reached out slowly and cautiously, keeping an intent gaze on Blue-Eyes' the entire time, and touched the edge of the wooden dish. She stopped, searching his face for any sign of danger, of which she found none. He observed as she quickly retrieved the plate, settling it down in her lap and examining its contents with a face hidden in the shadow of her shoulder-length locks.

Almost experimentally, she picked a single berry from the tray and brought it up to her face. It was getting dark and she must not have been able to see well in it. Another perhaps useful fact about humans Blue-Eyes gathered from this odd creature. She brought it closer to her lips, where her fingers hovered hesitantly-fighting a furious internal battle between her brain and her stomach. She was only just beginning to feel the pangs of hunger, a feeling that was not unfamiliar when being raised in a place where three square meals was the greatest of luxuries; but she knew that she could not afford to go hungry while in a place that was not home at all, and with that thought it mind she quickly pushed the berry past her chapped lips, tongue pushing the round thing up against the roof of her mouth where it mashed open. She moved the surprisingly delicious flavors from tooth to tooth, relishing in the wonderfully foreign taste. She finished off the rest of the tiny round fruits before moving on to the meat.

The sliver of pale flesh was overcooked on one side, while the other was lusciously brown and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It was long and thick and a tad bit greasy, needing at least three fingers to keep most of it from falling messily into her lap. She lifted it to her lips, dropping it all into her mouth, where she stared back down and chewed the entirety of the meat into mush-which fell easily down her throat. It was bland in flavor but faintly similar in taste to chicken, something she hadn't eaten since the beginning of the Simian Flu.

There was nothing left to eat on the wooden plate, and she set it back in front of her, hands raising to wipe at her mouth with her wrist. He fingers were then licked clean.

She nervously glanced up at the sky-eyed chimp who had stared off in another direction, scratching offhandedly at his chin. Realizing the human was looking at him, he turned back to face her. His eyes wandered to the empty plate and back up to the two almond-shaped eyes peering up from shy black lashes.

"...Thank you," she said quietly-had Blue-Eyes not been paying attention he would have missed it.

Disinterestedly turning away again, his left hand outstretched to offer the ivory cup filled with water.

The human reached out and took it this time, without having to be told twice. Lifting the cup to her lips, she tested the contents by wetting them. The water was frigid and tasted heavenly without needing spice or special flavor to make it extremely appetizing. It was gone in a matter of mere seconds and Marisol was left desperate for more. She kept her head tilted back to collect any and all remnants of drink from the bottom of the cup until there was nothing left to receive. She licked her lips frantically, smiling at the cold trace of liquid that refreshed her parched tongue and thirsty stomach.

The crease between Blue-Eyes' brows was gone, now strangely hypnotized by the sudden softness of the human's features-she had taken on a completely different demeanor: from submissive and frightened to happily trusting. It was a rather intriguing transition that he had never witnessed before. She seemed to hold no more suspicion about his motives and something about this irritated him.

He returned his gaze down to the empty wooden plate-and on his way he grazed her right thigh, covered in wounds similar to those on his shoulder. Absentmindedly, one long and thick finger reached up to trace one of the stinging lacerations, taking note that his and hers were both nearly identical in length and width. The bear must have pierced her skin by pure accident. Upon touching his wounds, he brushed across one last medicinal herb still settled into the open flesh. He puffed distractedly, shaking his head to clear it while reaching to take the wooden plate.

His hand nearly enveloped the tiny human's.

He caught the small, shocked squeak that passed through her lips-and peering up he noticed how close the distance between their noses were. He could see his face reflected in her dark eyes.

Almost angrily, Blue-Eyes forced a warm puff of air through his nostrils and clenched his free hand into a fist, blowing the hair in her face back against her ears as he stood. Immediately her eyes shut in fear and her head dropped. She tore her hand from inside of his, causing the wooden plate to drop back onto the rocky ground with a loud clatter.

"I'm sorry!" she said hastily, the soft, trusting expression now morphed back into apologetic fright. She dragged herself back onto her makeshift bed. "I-I was going to give it to you-"

She cut herself short, opening her eyes to stare back up into intimidating beryl orbs. Her chest was heaving with the adrenaline of survival.

Blue-Eyes stared back.

Feeling his racing heart begin to slow, he roughly swept both the dish and cup into one long, thick arm, turning on his heel to move quickly out of the den.

Marisol's gaze lingered on him as he left. Well after the dark had gotten darker, she blinked down at her bare toes before turning her face to the wall and settling her head down on the fluffier end of her bed. For a while she stayed up and remembered the youthful face of the blue-eyed chimp, attempting to memorize every wrinkle and curve to keep from focusing on her mistake and the itch of thirst that tickled the back of her throat. Not soon after, she drifted off into a deep slumber, a little more content now that her stomach had had its fill.

.

.

Caesar turned his head to see his son ambling hastily towards his place under a wood-woven roof that housed the food dishes and fire pit. His fingers moved to sign, _'You okay?'_

_'Stupid creature,' _Blue-Eyes replied once he had tossed the plate and cup towards a neatly stacked pile of identical items. They crashed against the ground loudly, but not loud enough to pierce the sound of the heavy falling rain.

Caesar nodded in faux understanding. _'Anything interesting?'_

_'Cannot see well at night,'_ Blue-Eyes signed.

Another nod. Caesar eyed his son from head to toe, taking note of the curious twinkle in his eye. He suddenly reached out a large hand and brushed it across the young chimp's cheek, earning his fingers a harsh slap. _'You are warm.'_

Puffing frustratedly, Blue-Eyes glared harshly at his father before signing, _'It is cold.' _


	9. Chapter 9

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Blue-Eyes stared down at the palm of his large hand. He clenched it experimentally several times, noting how much thicker his fingers were and how rough to the touch it felt compared to the human's. Their single exchange of contact left him madly curious as to how the rest of her body felt. He had only stolen a glimpse at the space between her legs-there was an instinctively male curiosity that itched to know what was under the skimpy black fabric she wore there.

A large arm was suddenly tossed round his shoulder. Blue-Eyes recoiled and hissed in irritation at the owner of said arm: his cousin, Ash. The bonobo opened his mouth and displayed his large pointed teeth in a breathy ape laugh. Bringing his lips together in an 'o' shape, he signed, _'Where were you last night? Apes gather to talk about bear. You not there.'_

_'With human,'_ Blue-Eyes signed disinterestedly, waving a hand to dismiss the subject. Yet Ash only hooted excitedly and scooted closer.

_'What is it like? Didn't get to see. Dared to go in but didn't want to!'_

_'Female,'_ the chimp signed brashly. _'Has lots of hair up here.'_ He motioned to his head. _'Weird bumps here.'_ An oval was drawn around his chest. _'Looks like ape, but not ape. Brown all over.'_

_'Blue-Eyes likes the human!'_ Ash teased. Blue-Eyes shoved him in response, a terrible glare accompanying the curl of his lip and flash of ivory teeth.

_'Shut up, Ash.'_

A loud hoot sounded from several yards away. Both apes raised their heads and turned their attention towards the advancing chimp, Caesar. He wasn't traveling on all fours like the others did-he had developed a habit on maneuvering mainly with two feet. His hands wove delicately into a gentle string of words: _'Son, you need to feed it.'_

Blue-Eyes took on a muddled expression. Hesitantly, he lifted a broad thumb to brush across his bottom lip in question. _'Feed what?'_

Caesar brought up his arm pointedly in the direction of the smallest of the dens built in the shades beneath the fantastic tree's canopy. _'Human.'_

A frown molded the pretty-eyed chimp's face into ugly disgust. He tilted his chin back in a wry sneer and harshly slid his left wrist over the right, sending the corresponding fist up to bloom into an open palm around his curled lips. _'Already fed it.'_ And he diverted his attention back to Ash.

_'Son,'_ Caesar spoke gruffly. Blue-Eyes sent him a sideways glance, catching the sign, _'Do as I say.'_

He held his father's gaze for a long moment before puffing stubbornly and storming off.

Ash swept his eyes back and forth between his cousin and uncle, innocently puzzled. Caesar turned on his heel and returned the way he came.

.

.

Lifting out of her slumber and back into consciousness, the human girl could feel the ache of sunlight pressing against her eyelids. It was bright and uncomfortable, and when she peeled them back she was met with the dull brown of the amateur wall-all wooden and threaded together with little leaves here and there, caught helplessly in some creases. They were browning and obviously dead by the way they effortlessly broke from their stem and crumbled in Marisol's palm.

She leaned up, wearily lethargic. Reaching up to wipe at the crusted bits collecting in the corners of her eyes her fingers absently brushed through her short hair. The tousled locks, despite being thoroughly abused throughout the last couple days, were still fairly tidy-she had silently thanked her mother for chopping it off during the first year she had been brought into the colony.

As she adjusted herself so that she could look directly down at her bandaged wound, she reached out and gently pressed on it. The harder she pressed the angrier the wound stung. For a moment Marisol was deathly afraid that underneath the makeshift bandage was an infection. She dared not remove it and instead begged silently for the doctor apes to appear and treat the throbbing cuts.

A shadow slithered silently into the corner of her eye, and upon turning Marisol locked gazes with the blue-eyed chimp from the night before. She quickly dropped her eyes from his to the plate of food he held in his hand-a feeling of déjà vu washed over her. Taking quick, irritated steps, he was at arms length once more before he discarded the wooden dish at Marisol's bed.

On this plate was a small vine of grapes alongside two charred pieces of meat; and the grapes were already withering. The food looked rather unhappy, much like the glaring chimp standing only a few feet away.

Despite the fear bubbling in her stomach she still nodded and quietly said, "Thank you." She then reached out for the plate and brought it closer, picking off the wrinkled orbs and bringing them to her chapped lips to be consumed.

There was a tenseness in the atmosphere that suffocated Marisol like smoke from a fire. Her throat burned with the itching desire to say something to the frustrated chimp staring heatedly at her slumped form, to ask what was wrong or why he felt so against her when she had-for the time being-done nothing to wrong him. His glare was white-hot, matching the intense, icy color that decorated his round irises.

After eating the withered grapes first, she moved to touch the charred meat-but instead made the brave decision to glance directly into his cold eyes. "I'm sorry if I angered you yesterday. I didn't mean to-honest."

A sneer curled at his firm lips and he raised his chin in a harsh and wry manner; but he didn't show any objection towards her speaking. So she continued.

"You've been very nice to me and I didn't get a chance to say that I-"

Suddenly, she cut herself short. Her wide, chocolate eyes latched onto something over his shoulder. Blue-Eyes furrowed his hairless brow line and curiously arched his neck to see what had caught her attention.

There, standing at the mouth of the ramshackle den, was Ash. The sun was at his back and cloaked his front in shadow-casting his innocently inquisitive features in darkness. He inclined his head, seeming to ask permission to enter.

"Do you know him?" Marisol asked quietly, but was dismissed by the sky-eyed chimp as he raised a muscular arm to wave away the bonobo shifting from foot to foot at the entrance, returning his gaze to the human in front of him. Said ape, in all his naked, silverish glory, ignored him and meandered closer. Marisol watched as her caretaker turned back around and, upon seeing how the bonobo had completely discarded his suggestion to leave, began to beat his chest and make strange motions with his arms and hands.

When the bonobo replied with a few motions of his own, Marisol realized that the apes were speaking in their own dialect: no doubt an altered type of sign language.

_'Leave, Ash!'_ Blue-Eyes signed furiously, pressing his two pointer fingers against the corners of his lips before throwing them outwards towards the mouth of the den.

Ash was fatally curious about this strange little human sitting so daintily on the ground. His inquisitive brown eyes were dead-set in a perplexed stare, locked on to the female's. They were an interesting color-rich, round, liquid dark chocolate, all bittersweet cacao drops settled into an equally intrigued gaze. Of course, apes did not know of human sweets, and thus did not know of chocolate itself. Ash could only compare her intense dark orbs to the color of the earth; soft and brown and cool after a heavy, refreshing rainfall.

He was blatantly oblivious to Blue-Eyes, who was huffing madly at his disregard to each and every warning to leave him and the human be. Instead, he made his way over to the chimps' side and plopped himself down as though it was his right-earning him an exasperated hoot from his cousin.

_'Did father send you?'_ Blue-Eyes signed, touching the corner of his lip and making a curve upward to spread his index and middle finger just enough to place his thumb in the space, before closing them and sending them in Ash's direction.

Ash took the two first fingers on each hand and scraped them across one another. One hand curled into a fist and pounded his right breast twice. He slid a single thumbnail up the middle of his chest to his chin, where he flicked it. _'Came to see human.'_

_'Human is fine. Go away.'_

Ash was the one to dismiss Blue-Eyes this time. He used his knuckles to scoot a little closer to the human female, his proximity making her shift uncomfortably and lean back.

He reached out, a small, childish smile spreading across his gray lips as he quickly swiped the charred meat from her plate. He lifted the pieces up to his nose and wrinkled it, frowning up at Blue-Eyes-as though reprimanding him for giving the human such poor-quality food. Nonetheless, Ash held the meat out to the human. She turned her head some in confusion.

Her eyes caught the stare of the blue-eyed chimp, who was flickering his gaze between the palm filled with black meat and her face. Marisol was unaware of what to do. She could not read her caretaker's expression, and she feared the worst if she took the meat; but her stomach gurgled suddenly, startling both apes.

Ash hesitantly reached forward with his free hand to touch the human-to coax her into taking his offering.

Blue-Eyes hooted and shoved Ash's hand away from the human, angrily puffing through his nose. He signed quickly, _'Do not touch.'_

_'I want it to eat out of my hand.'_

_'Do not touch it,'_ Blue-Eyes repeated. He took a firm hold of Ash's arm before leading him towards the entrance of the cave. _'Leave.'_

Ash dropped the meat messily onto the floor, reaching out and playfully pushing his cousin. _'No fun,'_ he signed, breathy ape chuckles escaping his lips.

_'Dangerous,'_ Blue-Eyes replied, sparing a wary glance at the human curled up in the sunlight.

_'Weak. Female. Said yourself!'_

_'Go!'_ The chimp used both hands to force Ash out of the den, stumbling a bit once he was back on all fours. The bonobo rolled along the floor for a moment but was soon back on his feet. He gave Blue-Eyes a puzzled look.

_'Why so angry, cousin?'_ he signed.

_'Going to get me in trouble!'_ the chimp retorted hotly, standing on only two feet as he pounded his chest. Ash mocked his gestures-teasing him-, and soon enough they were sprawling. The two teenagers attracted some attention from the nearby apes. One of them happened to be Caesar.

The large chimpanzee got to his feet and made his way over to the bickering couple, letting out a few loud hoots of his own. Ash and Blue-Eyes separated long enough for Caesar to get between them. He pounded the side of his fists atop one another before opening his palms and moving them to cage his temples, bringing them down so that each arm was adjacent. _'Why are you fighting?'_

_'Blue-Eyes attacked me!'_

_'Ash tried to feed human!'_

Their answers were basically simultaneous. Caesar raised a demanding palm, silencing the airy noises that accompanied each. He turned his gaze to his son._ '…Allowed Ash to come?'_

_'Did not allow him. Came anyways!'_ His lips were set in a grimace. 'Did not listen when told to leave!'

Caesar peered over at Ash, who was slumped over and staring at the ground. He glanced up at his uncle. After a moment, he signed, _'Just wanted to see.'_

Caesar's green eyes wandered thoughtfully between his kin. Both were panting heavily from the quick scuffle, dirt from the ground dusting the thick black hair that covered their bodies. He saw a small piece of charred meat drop almost unnoticeably onto the stone floor from Ash's leg. _'There was no need for a fight. Ash, go eat with the others.'_

_'Yes, Uncle,'_ the bonobo signed, glancing timidly at Blue-Eyes before turning on his heel and careering down the drop in the area to join a large group of apes gathered around the fire pit. A few tribe members nearest the leader and his son turned their heads away and continued on with their business.

Caesar returned his attention to his eldest offspring. Blue-Eyes snorted obnoxiously. _'What happened, not my fault. Ash's fault. Talk to him.'_

_'I know,'_ Caesar replied. His eyes lingered on the overcooked morsel that lay not too far away._ 'Your cousin's heart was in the right place; however, he is unaware of right and wrong when it is. It is your job as cousin to help him understand-brute force is not always the answer.'_

_'Ash is stupid,'_ Blue-Eyes huffed._ 'Deserved it. Not my responsibility anyways.'_

_'Right now your responsibility is the human.'_

_'I will not take care of human anymore. Too much trouble,'_ he signed defiantly.

Caesar cut him short by signing with big gestures: _'Just a little while longer.'_

_'Do not want to!'_ his son responded hastily.

_'You are my son, you will listen.'_

Caesar's command reaped nothing but a glare from his sky-eyed young. With a lengthy growl that rumbled deep within his chest, Blue-Eyes pushed past his father and towards the kill hut. Caesar watched him depart. His gaze lingered for a few moments before he turned back around to face the human den, lips pursing ever so slightly when he saw the small female leaning against one of the wooden poles supporting the roof of her tiny shelter. Her hair was swept back behind her ears and she was holding tight to the wooden plate she had been given.

Caesar approached her, broad shoulders brought back proudly while he stared down into her earthly eyes. Shrewdly, she held out the plate and placed it into his open palm. She brought her gaze up to sweep across the clearing to where Blue-Eyes sat. He was gathering more food onto a dish. Caesar followed her stare.

Bringing his eyes back to rest on the top of her head, he sighed.

Marisol felt the hot air from his nostrils send the strands of brown atop her scalp in disarray-so she quickly looked up. She could now clearly make out the graying hairs around his chin. A gentle breeze carried into the area, ruffling Marisol's shirt and buffeting at the ape's thick black coat. It was a welcome wind, one that cooled down her warm flesh.

Marisol shifted her gaze back to Blue-Eyes, who took the food he had collected and marched over to a small group of chimps resting underneath the canopy of the large tree in the clearing. "I don't think he likes me."

"Apes hear… stories… of humans. Bad stories. Creates… fear."

As she listened to the gruff and inexperienced speech pattern of the large ape, Marisol swallowed the lump in her throat that had swollen with thirst. Her round, doe-like eyes met the green orbs of the one who had spoken. "Who tells these stories?"

"Apes… who know humans. Who see… only the bad." Caesar snorted and looked off to the side.

"You don't seem that afraid of me," Marisol said softly. "…Then again, I'm not really a threat in my current state, am I?"

Caesar felt a small smirk tug at his lips. Slowly, he blinked and brought his eyes back up to the human's face, where he found her staring after something over his shoulder. Her long, black lashes fluttered lightly against her cheeks, dusted with remnants of dirt that had collected overnight. Caesar raised a large hand and placed it gently on the small female's shoulder. She seemed to break from her stare with a slight start, and her eyes flickered up to his face where she darted between both of his speckled green irises. "Come, human."

Marisol felt his palm slip lower to grip at her bicep. He was kind in his gesture, his grasp light so as not to bruise the fragile limb. There was a slight stir in her stomach as Marisol realized that this ape could break her arm like a toothpick with just the right amount of force. This thought brought uneasiness to settle in her brain.

Breathing in through her nose, she moved in step with him, hobbling over the deep grooves in the rocky ground and taking care to avoid stumbling over her own two feet. She leaned into the ape's grip in an effort to keep from putting too much pressure on her wounded leg.

Marisol took the time to survey her surroundings as she walked.

The sky was a lovely blue color overhead, the clouds puffy, white, and genuinely natural condensation-void of interloping chemicals produced by power plants and industrial buildings. Since the permanent shutdown of the national governments eight years ago, business owners had been forced to abandon their factories to search for a way to save their hides from those gone mad from the calamity that had risen in the viral outbreak. In a way, Marisol was thankful; no longer would she have to look up into the sky and wonder if that pretty white streak was a cloud or a chemical trail. It would be only a matter of time before the earth would take back all of what man had claimed-the buildings, the streets.. It was natural law.

Commercials switched from paid programming to cartoons to reality TV shows in her mind, static soon giving way to loud sirens and wailing alerts that flashed red on the television screen. The mumble of riots behind an unsuspecting reporter and the sharp crack of gunshots in the air had been Marisol's only warning before her entire world had gone to hell. Before her home under a gray and smoggy sky had been stained red with the blood of a billion innocent lives.

The human found herself suddenly feeling miserable as she stared out into the sky, past the endless treetops. There was a sense of helplessness that seemed to wash over her-helplessness borne to the realization that nature's battle over the reign of humans was prevailing. The universe had given human beings one chance to thrive and do good, and out of their own stupidity and greed they had sealed the fate they had woven since Eve had eaten the apple. Raw, violent, unadulterated hunger for power had been man's demise; and even after the damage had already been done they still struggled to piece together the shattered delusions of control by decimating one another as though the murder of millions could do anything to help slow the descent towards extinction.

Marisol was surprised at herself for having these sudden thoughts-thoughts one might come to have if they were teetering over the precipice of life and death; but when the loud gunshots in that one fuzzy memory preceding the blackness rang out, that same feeling of terror washed across her conscious like the ocean that crashed peacefully against a bank of sand.

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**EDIT 9/2/14: **the main character has undergone a name change! please don't be confused with this sudden edit, as the rest of the chapters have been rewritten as well!

italics have also been added.

hope you enjoy!


	10. author's note

**A/N**

i kind of didn't enjoy the whole "main character gets injured and is miraculously saved by strangers and is the golden child" cliché that i implemented here. marisol is a bit of a mary-sue... lmao. common romance tropes are the bane of my existence, tbh. i don't know where i wanted to go with this story, which is a horribly fatal flaw of mine.

so.. i'm going to shut this story down and work on a new version!

ahaha if you hate me for stopping so suddenly then that's totally fine. i'm not a big fan of myself either, lol

the new story is called "Indelible" and it's coming soon. thank you all for your reviews, follows, etc., and i hope that the newer story receives the same positive feedback!

sincerely,

aregano


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